GP Herning starts and finishes in Herning, a medium sized city in Denmark with about 50.000 inhabitants. The route is mainly rural passing many “difficult” sectors (gravel actually) providing for constant puncture and technical racing.
Expected to be a cloudy day with temperatures around 13°C and just a light breeze.
Media favorites:
(Translation: AVG – FL – HI – SP – COB - ACC – STA - RES)
Early acceleration by Kal and Lauk soon followed by Taminiaux and Welten.
A little later new attack by Foss, Pfingsten and Philipsen soon countered by Felipe, Miltiadis
But now the pack reacts and the last duo was not allowed to get away. We got a 7 rider breakaway. The pack is fast and even though the break is about to enter the first cobbled sector, the pack is visible in the background.
The first sector is 10.8 km and the longest in the race, maybe a bit surprisingly we see top favorite Kasperkiewicz setting a devastation pace this early.
Only 9 other riders able to somewhat keep up now, and we are only 20% into the sector.
The pace over the sector is very uneven as Kasperkiewicz stops working in the front after he accept not being able to drop important contenders.
At some point 7 riders was able to rejoin, but then Corwin took a hard turn and the group was back to 10 riders, but Bolivar and Minoungou have been distanced now replaced by Van Keirsbulck and Joseph
We are leaving the first sector 116 km left, the breakaway was over some time ago.
Well, what some was hoping for while managers with a rider in group one not so much happened, no one was willing to work on the asphalt and the leading group grew to 31 on the 6 km tarmac.
We have already seen a ton of puncture, now we get one from the leading group, with Nepomnyachsniy losing precious time and a little later Richardson hit by misfortune.
We get 4 cobbled sectors coming of right after each other, from the leading group, over this part of the race, we get failed breakaway attempts from Kolev and Allonca.
Many riders dropped in the difficult surface but often coming back on the asphalt. When we leave the last of this for sectors, 14 riders in the leading group, Kasperkiewicz, Maes, Orue, Van Keirsbulck, Taubel, Jacobs, Manamalage, Kosic, Joseph, Kluge, Drucker, Young, Ostergaard and Allonca
Kolev not far back.
The leading group grows back to 27 riders on the 10 km asphalt road before the next double cobbled sector. Verhelst, Allonca Kolev and later Taramarcaz attacks on the Asphalt, the three first mentioned get a head start of 1’41”, Taramarcaz 1’10”.
This section is not ridden very fast and Allonca leads with 36” to Kolev another 32” to Verhelst and further 37” to the favorites entering the next asphalt section.
Now also Ghani attacks.
65 km to the finish, 21 riders in the favorite group.
Most of the escapees get caught before the next double cobbled sector but Allonca obviously having a great day, makes it to and almost trough the sector. That was the end of this series of attacks. The favorites lead again, 24 riders entering the next double cobbled sector, 14 leaving it at the front.
Again we see the pace drop on the asphalt the group grows back to 24, with three double cobbled sector left, a little less than 40 km.
Then when we enter the 2nd half of the sector the leading group split again.
Overview of groups:
Now we are in the asphalt leading up to the penultimate double cobbled sector, and a new unexpected development Van Keirsbulck attacks on the tarmac followed by Orue, Manamalage and Maes, the move may not provide for the intended effect because, Drucker, Ostergaard Bolivar, Jacobs, Joseph, Kluge, Kosic and Nepomnyachsniy quickly close the gap, but it does have the effect that top favorite Kasperkiewicz is now distanced by 25”
Ostergaard seize the moment when the pace slows a bit launching a solo counter.
Ostergaard impressive, not only improving on the asphalt but adding second after second to his lead also over the penultimate double cobbled sector to a point where he leads with 54” being also at the asphalt again.
In the pursuit Bolivar and Nepomnyachsniy dropped sitting another 27” down and Kasperkiewicz seems to have used too much too early only losing more and more time, now at 1’48 in a small group without any hope of help. To add to anyone’s agony it starts to rain heavily.
Group Maes
The situation is basically unchanged over the next asphalt section and the first and shortest of the two cobbled sectors, Ostergaard leads, group Maes (9 riders) at 43”, Nepomnyachsniy at 1’13”, Bolivar, Taubel at 1’55 and Kasperkiewicz now alone at 2’12
We are now leaving the cobbles, an acceleration from Manamalage has brought the distance to Ostergaard down to 39”, and the pursuit also fractioned in small groups, at Manamalage wheel Van Keirsbulck and Jacobs, a little further back Drucker with another small gap down to Maes, Orue and Kosic and again a gap to Joseph and Kluge
Very long 3.4 km left for Ostergaard
Some riders in the screenshot was distanced by a lap or more
2.2 km left for Ostergaard.
Coming closer now alone Manamalage at 17” Van Keirsbulck and Jacobs at 43” Drucker at 1’08” Maes, Orue and Kosic at 1’19” Kluge at 1’42” Joseph at 2’31” Kasperkiewicz, Taubel and Cominelli at 3’27” Young and Allonca at 3’53” Bolivar and Nepomnyachsniy at 4’04”
Everyone else above 5 minutes behind.
Ostergaard win GP Herning 2019
Manamalage 2nd
Jacobs with a good finish takes the last podium.
Van Keirsbulck 4th
Kosic 5th in front of Orue 6th Drucker 7tth and Maes 8th.
Kluge 9th and Joseph 10th
Kasperkiewicz comes in as 11th, in front of Taubel and Cominelli
GP Herning 
